39: Dr. Julia Rafal-Baer

With all the time we spend focusing on all the negativity in the world, sometimes it’s a breath of fresh air to focus on all the love and passion for change we all share. Today our guest is an individual who radiates love, passion and compassion for others and specifically students, Dr. Julia Rafal-Baer. Julia is an educator, and educational policy advisor and in her current role as COO of Chiefs for Change, she seeks to transform educational policy to better serve the needs of all students. The most fascinating thing about Julia is hearing her story of activism born out of her experience as a teacher!

Check out the episode to get a taste of this phenomenal, hardworking, world changer for yourself.

What you'll hear in this episode:

The supportive environment of education systems

Working with educators of color

The struggles of being in education with disabilities

The importance of having individuals to support you

How you have to grow to achieve your dreams

Nothing happens unless you act on it first

Dealing with a sense of powerlessness and fixing the problem

The process of finding something that grounds you

Dealing with gossip and hate in the professional world

Staying committed to your work

The choices required to get where you want

Experiences in Julia’s life she is proud of and can’t believe happened

Sharing innovations with people to give them a new perspective on how they can do things differently and fund organizations

Expanding on what is possible and the impact people can have on the status quo

Creating a community of people who want to advocate change

What makes initiatives successful

Making two-way communication intentional

Finding a core group to push and support you

Accepting change and not getting too comfortable where you are

Sharing your perspective to help people understand your views

The possibilities of how much can change

Supporting your own generation and creating a gateway for the one rising after your own